The treadmill is a fallacy; so few draft choices end up being franchise quality players and there's no guarantee that a #1 pick will get you a franchise player - we already have an example of that on our roster.

Overachieve, play the young guys a tonne, let them learn some BBIQ and develop into a decent core of talent for years to come. Make the 8th seed and prove the doubters wrong, then lose in 6 games and get a taste of the playoffs so you're hungrier for the next year.